Card mount package for hypodermic syringe assembly



March 12, 1968 J. w. THOMAS CARD MOUNT PACKAGE FOR HYPODERMIC SYRINGE ASSEMBLY Filed Oct.

V IN VENTOR Wafiflzaj %ams ATTORNEYS BY (11:4 1027; Macaw United States Patent Ofiice 3,372,798 Patented Mar. 12, 1968 3,372,798 CARD MOUNT PACKAGE FOR HYPODERMIC SYRINGE ASSEMBLY John Warrick Thomas, The Thomas Clinic, 2031 Monument Ave., Richmond, Va. 23220 Filed Oct. 31, 1966, Ser. No. 590,920 6 Claims. (Cl. 206-63.2)

This invention relates to a card mount package for a hypodermic syringe assembly. More particularly, it relates to a novel package especially useful as a carrier for a filled, sterile hydopermic syringe assembly which will retain the parts of the syringe assembly in proper relative positions for administration of the contained dosage or adjusted ampule dosage.

There has been a marked increase recently in various branches of applied medicine in the providing of patients with prescribed medication to be self-administered by means of a hypodermic needle. Thus are heart patients, diabetics, patients suifering from allergies, and the like being trained in the use of the hypodermic syringe and needle in order to administer prescribed drugs to themselves recurrently and may be life saving in cases of emergency. Particularly well suited for this use in the deposable syringe which, provided in serile condition in a sealed envelope, is designed to be used once and thrown away. For self-administration away from the physicians supervision the out-patient is commonly provided with a supply of these disposable syringes and a separate supply of medicament. Not infrequently, however, a problem arises in the attempt of the lay patient to draw within the syringe the exact dosage of the drug prescribed by the physician. Anxiety, born of unfamiliarity with the procedure, poor eyesight, mislaid directions are just a few of many causes which may result in the administration of an incorrect dosage. The potential for harm or reaction arising out of such an error is obvious.

There exists then a need for some means of helping to ensure that prescription drugs to be self-adrninistred hypodermically by relatively unskilled patients will be given only in the amounts prescribed. To this end I have invented a novel package in the form of a card mount which is especially suited for holding a filed hypodermic syringe assembly in administrable relationship. Its use will enable the prescribing physicians to provide the patient in securely packaged form a syringe which has been pre-filled by the physician or pharmacist or manufacturer with the proper amount of medication for a single administration. The construction and mode of use of the package will be readily apparent from the drawings and the following detailed description.

FIGURE 1 is a top view of the cut and scored blank which constitutes the package in unassem'bled condition.

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the package in assembled form with syringe assembly and reserve vial in place.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the assembled package.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical, fragmented cross-section, taken on line 44 in FIGURE 3 and showing the syringe assembly mounted in place in the package.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the card mount, which may be made of cardboard or any other suitable material, is comprised of an elongated, flat main body It) and a laterally extending retaining flap 11, both of which contain a plurality of parallel, aligned engaging slots 12 and 13 disposed transversely to the main body 10. The two series of slots 12 and 13 are so arranged as to be in complementary relationship when the remaining flap 11 is folded over the main body along score line 26 as illustrated in FIGURES 2 and '3. Provided on the main body 10 are means for holding a syringe assembly thereto; in FIGURE 1 this means is represented by an integrally formed retaining loop 14 which is struck out of the main body by cut lines 17, 18, 19, 20. An optional feature of the package of the present invention is the provision of means for holding a reserve vial or ampoule or medication; this means is represented in FIGURE 1 by a second retaining loop 21 which is also integrally formed from the main body 10 by the use of the same arrangement of cut and score lines as illustrated for retaining loop 14.. Another optional feature shown in FIGURE 1 is a perforated removable strip 22 integrally formed from the retaining flap 11, bordered by two parallel lines of perforations 23 and 24 and ending in a pull tab 25.

FIGURES 2 and 3 show the package in assembled form with a hypodermic syringe assembly and reserve vial mounted in place. The syringe assembly comprises a discshaped plunger head 27 mounted on the end of plunger 28 (more clearly illustrated in sectional FIGURE 4), the plunger being slidably mounted in, and extending from the end of, a hollow syringe barrel 29; opposite its plunger end the syringe barrel terminates in a hypodermic needle sub-assembly 30 which is capped with a removable needle cover 31. The hypodermic syringe assembly is illustrated as held in place on the main body 10 of the card mount by insertion of the covered bypodermic needle sub-assembly Stl through the retaining loop 14, thus securing the lower, or needle, end of the assembly, and by partial insertion of the plunger head 27 into one of the engaging slots 13 of the folded retaining flap 11 and its complementary slot 12 in the main body, thus securing the upper, or plunger, end of the assembly; the retaining flap is, in turn, held in its folded, or plunger enveloping, position by use of suitable fastening means which secure the flap, somewhere between its outer edge. and the point where it overlaps the plunger, to the main body 10, which fastening means are shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 as a series medicine vial 33 is held by retaining loop 21.

Preferably, the means on the main body of the card mount package for retaining the pre-filled syringe assembly will be effective for holding the syringe barrel in a fixed or immovable position relative to the slidable plunger, so that even when subjected to abusive handling, as, for example, may occur if the package is sent through the mail, the plunger will neither be further withdrawn from the barrel causing air to be drawn into the medication, nor be pushed into the barrel causing part of the medication to be ejected. This rigidity of mounting may, of course, be effected by various means and the selection of one or another does not constitute a critical feature of the present invention. Thus, for example, where a retaining loop is employed, as shown by numeral 14 in the attached drawings, said loop may be constructed as to fit so snugly around, for instance, the needle cover or syringe barrel as to hold the latter immovable due to the force of friction. Alternatively, advantage can be taken of any existing flanges, shoulders, depressions, ridges, etc. on the syringe barrel, needle cover or needle subassembly by so positioning the retaining loop, ring, or whatever, on the main body that it will abut a flange, fit into a depression or in some way rigidly hold the assembly.

In the embodiment presented in FIGURES 3 and 4 of the attached drawings the syringe barrel 29 is held immovable relative to the plunger 28 by a combination of the frictional force exerted by the snug-fitting retaining loop 14 on the needle cover 31, by the abutment of the needle cover flange 34 against the retaining loop 14 and by the abutment of the retaining flap 11 at its lower transverse edge 35 against the finger grip flange 36 of the syringe barrel 29; the plunger 28 is, of course, held 15 and 16 and score lines of staples 32. A reserve' J) in position by the protrusion of its disc-shaped head 27 through the engaging slots 12 and 13.

The provision of a perforated removable strip 22 in the retaining flap 11 provides easy access to the packaged syringe assembly at time of use.

The manner of using the card mount package of the present invention will be readily apparent from the foregoing discussion and the illustrative drawings; however, the following brief description might be of further value in understanding its unique utility. The physician first removes the needle cover of a syringe assembly, preferably one of the disposable type, and draws into the barrel of the syringe the prescribed dosage of medication, say, 0.25 cc. as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The needle cover is replaced and the assembly inserted needle end first into retaining loop 14 of the main body of a card mount blank as shown in FIGURE 1, until the needle cover flange 34 abuts the edge of loop 14 as shown in FIGURE 4. The plunger head 27 is then inserted in the particular engaging slot 12 which coincides with the length of withdrawal of the plunger at a dosage of 0.25 cc. Retaining flap 11 is folded along score line 26 over the plunger 28, and the plunger head 27 is inserted in the complementary engaging slot 13. Fastening means such as metallic staples 32 are applied to attach the retaining flap 11 to the main body 10 at one or more points beyond that portion of the flap 11 which overlaps, or envelops, the plunger 28. A reserve ampoule 33 containing additional medication can be inserted in retaining loop 21. After the syringe is filled and mounted, the package may the slipped into :1 polyethylene sleeve or envelope and heat-sealed to prevent contamination. The entire filling, packaging and sealing process should be carried out under sterile technique. The mounted, filled syringe assembly can now be safely carried home by the patient or boxed and mailed to him, if desired.

Printed, typewritten or handwritten instructions as to source, use or contents of the syringe-contained medication can be conveniently located on the main body of the card mount package.

The foregoing is considered illustrative only of the principles of the present invention. Numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art; thus, for example, the retaining flap may extend from the end rather than the side, of the main body and be foldable downwardly over the plunger head of the positioned syringe assembly; in place of the integrally formed retaining loops illustrated there may be used, for example, elastic retaining loops sewn or otherwise afiixed to the main body; only one set of parallel, aligned engaging slots may be used, either in the main body or in the retaining flap; the perforated removable strip may be provided in the main body rather than in the retaining flap; and, rather than stapled closed, the retaining flap may be taped or otherwise secured to the main body. Therefore, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described; accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents which may be resorted to will fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

It is claimed:

1. A card mount package for a hypodermic syringe assembly, said assembly comprising in combination a flange-headed plunger, a syringe barrel, a hypodermic needle and a needle cover, which card mount comprises an elongated flat main body for supporting said assembly, a retaining flap extending from the main body and foldable inwardly over said plunger and said main body and sufficiently beyond said plunger as to permit fastening of the flap when in folded position at a point beyond said plunger to the main body, a plurality of parallel, aligned slots in at least one of said main body and said retaining flap disposed transversely to the main body for insertion therein of said plunger head, and retaining means on the main body for holding said syringe barrel immovable relative to said plunger resulting in a fixed measured volume of drug.

2. The card mount package of claim 1 wherein the main body has a plurality of parallel, aligned slots disposed complementarily to a plurality of parallel aligned slots in the retaining flap.

3. The card mount package of claim 1 wherein the retaining flap extends laterally from the main body.

4. The card mount package of claim 3 wherein the retaining flap has a perforated removable strip longitudinally disposed with respect to the main body of the mount and extending in the flap the full length thereof.

5. The card mount package of claim 1 wherein the retaining means on the main body comprises an integrally formed holding loop portion struck out of the main body.

6. The card mount package of claim 1 wherein the main body has additional retaining means for holding an ampoule.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,221,184 4/1917 Johnston 206--79 2,394,457 2/1946 Lobl 20679 2,720,969 10/1955 Kendall 206632 2,943,624 7/1960 Alquist 128-218 3,112,747 12/1963 Cowley 20663.2 3,256,982 6/1966 Kisor 229-51 WILLIAM T. DIXSON, JR., Primary Examiner. 

1. A CARD MOUNT PACKAGE FOR A HYPODERMIC SYRINGE ASSEMBLY, SAID ASSEMBLY COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A FLANGE-HEADED PLUNGER, A SYRINGE BARREL, A HYPODERMIC NEEDLE AND A NEEDLE COVER, WHICH CARD MOUNT COMPRISES AN ELONGATED FLAT MAIN BODY FOR SUPPORTING SAID ASSEMBLY, A RETAINING FLAP EXTENDING FROM THE MAIN BODY AND FOLDABLE INWARDLY OVER SAID PLUNGER AND SAID MAIN BODY AND SUFFICIENTLY BEYOND SAID PLUNGER AS TO PERMIT FASTENING OF THE FLAP WHEN IN FOLDED POSITION AT A POINT BEYOND SAID PLUNGER TO THE MAIN BODY, A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL, ALIGNED 